Got a "Gaming Laptop", Here Are The Specs, Where'd I Go Wrong?

I got this laptop from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074PFK3B4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Specs:

• Processor: Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad Core Processor (6MB Cache, 2.8GHz-3.8GHz) 45W
• RAM: 32GB RAM DDR4 2400MHz |
• Hard Disk Drive: 512GB NVMe Solid State Drive + 1TB 7200rpm Hard Disk Drive
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 |
• Display: 15.6" Full HD eDP Vivid Color 94% NTSC Display (1920 x 1080)

Problems:
- Some YouTube videos (music videos for instance) look very grainy.

- TF2 is an old game, and when I play it, the fans are running full throttle the entire time. Also when playing TF2, if I have a higher graphics setting, and I turn fast, sometimes the walls and stuff are "disjointed" for a second before coming back.

My internet connection isn't great, but the grainy video and the fact that this thing sounds like it's working overtime just to play TF2 (a fairly old game) couldn't just be latency issues...

This laptop was expensive, and I'm very upset with how it's gone. Where'd I go wrong?

Is it the brand, the video card, the processor?

Where you went wrong was buying a gaming laptop. It's a lot of top end component in a very small space, the thing is going to get hot really quickly so of course the fans will be running hard whenever you're playing a game. As for your display problems, I would try to update your graphics drivers first and foremost.

@Toxic-Seahorse: Thanks. I fixed the main issue. It was using a different video card by default instead of the NVIDIA, so I fixed that issue.

Yea, I guess that's the issue with the fans. I kind of need a laptop at this stage of my life. I do want a gaming desktop. Thanks for the feedback.

@qallz: Why 32 GB RAM? Relatively useless for gaming. I bought this one last year for $1299 and it goes on sale frequently.

https://www.amazon.com/GL702VS-Gaming-Display-GeForce-i7-7700HQ/dp/B075KX1MJS

It has a 17.3" G-Sync screen that you can OC to 100hz and a GTX 1070. It is a beast at 1080p and great for portable VR. Very happy with it.

I don't know, I thought RAM was still important. I know it's not as important as the video card. You think yours will be better for gaming? Not sure.

Ram is important but you have to think of it from a use point. Anything over 16GB(even that is a stretch for most games) of ram isnt really used for gaming, so its great to have 32gb of ram but around half isnt getting used by games at all. His laptop is for sure better for gaming since he has a 1070 instead of a 1060, but at least you have a much bigger ssd than the one he posted. Don't take that to mean your laptop isnt good for gaming, it certainly is, you could have just gotten a better gpu at the price you paid if you got less ram and maybe a smaller ssd.

I swapped out the mechanical drive for a 1TB SSD as soon as I got the laptop.

32gb ram = you can leave open stuff and still game. 8gb ram people have to close everything to game and 16gb people have to close heavy ram thing (chrome looking at you) to game. so 32gb ram is great imo

@qallz: i feel like a 32g ram is too much and you should've gotten a laptop with a better graphics card instead

anyway you might wanna update your drivers

or if it gets really hot and then starts lagging you should buy an external fan

@qallz: Glad you fixed your laptop I was about to tell you to check to see if your laptop is using the GPU and not the IGP its a common problem in laptops and some desktops for the IGP to be chosen as the default graphics processor.

Yeah 8GBs is starting to become a minimum for games these days.. Also we're assuming TC doesn't use his laptop for anything else such as video and photo editing. Those programs easily eat up RAM and start using harddrive space which makes things even slower if you don't have an SSD. I only have 8GB of RAM and its a pain to use photoshop/after effects while I have a web browser open with a tutorial I'm following. Because once I start using more demanding parts of the programs RAM limit gets hit and everything gets much slower.

I had an Alienware m17x until a couple of years ago. It was a powerful machine but I'll never get a gaming laptop again because of the sheer noise the fan makes. And I hate wearing headphones. (Sensitive hearing)

lol Harsh but true. I also learned that lesson the hard way. Never buying a ""gaming" laptop again.

Gaming + laptop generally don't go in the same sentence, there are exceptions but they are few and far between.

Unless you absolutely need a laptop because of travel a desktop is always a better and cheaper choice for playing games on.

@qallz: Sincerely i think that you have been scammed. My laptop is less powerful than yours, and run TF2 at Max Settings smoothly (70+fps)

Everyone here tells you that "gaming laptop doesn't work", but mine works pretty well. The only thing is that is almost inevitable to the laptop to reach temperatures between 80 degrees and 93 degrees, the only bad point of "gaming" laptops.

the wrong part was in the title 'gaming' 'laptop'

I have only done that once, it was expensive and the video cards ended up burning out.

better to just have a desktop for gaming AND a Chromebook for everything else

If you are not going to be moving it around much, I would say the desktop is the better option. However, gaming laptops are awesome for portability. I have both a gaming desktop and gaming laptop and make use of both everyday.

to be honest though, who takes their laptop to a friends how to play a PC game, I mean lets be honest, how often does this happen?

It depends what your situation is. You can take it to a friend's place to play together, to a girlfriend's place, on vacation, to work, use it as a portable VR station, etc... I was recently away from home for over 2 months and my gaming laptop was my main rig during that time.

yes and I had one while I was assigned to be working out of town, so I could play in the hotel room after work.

But I am not asking what are the plausible situations in which you might need it, I am saying, how often to people ACTUALLY take advantage of that.

Its like the 'guest room' yeah nice to have, might need it, but do I do that function weekly? no

Its like having a formal dinning room to use it once a year.

if you dont use the mobile part of that features at least a few times every month then its not worth the extra money and not use it as in 'I took it to browse the internet' but 'i took it to play a PC game'

@tryit: I use it in the ways I mentioned, but I am using it everyday at work for both work and play. So, for me it is worth every penny.

I think most people who get a gaming laptop can not honestly say that several times a month they use the 'gaming aspects' of the laptop in a truly mobile situation.

you might be an exception but most people do not have a need to be super mobile when it comes specifically to the gaming aspect of it. 'oh yeah I am coming over to your house and i will sit on the couch and play a PC game'

I can see that happening, I just dont see it happening for most people who invest in a gaming PC.

I got one once but it was specifically because I knew I would be out of town for 5 days a week for ayear

oh I should mention, the second time I was on travel duty I didnt take it with me, but I did use the Chromebook to remote desktop into my work PC.

I agree and that is why I recommend most people get a gaming desktop unless they actually make use of the portability.

I drop my ASUS G series gaming laptop era back in Core 2 era and focus on small form factor (SSF) desktop gaming PCs.

I can easily bring SFF gaming PC within city limits.

I use Surface Pro for overseas portability.